Fighting For Ava

*09*

For the thousandth time, Jethro assured himself he was not scared, even though his body shivered as he paced out of the wattle fence. The night was cold actually. Maybe it was that.

It was that.

He assured himself again and expelled warm air from his nose as he stared blankly into the night. He would go alone but he would be on alert, and if any danger shoot up, he already planned the escape route he would take back home.

Yeah.

He sighed and fell into steps along the sidewalk. He moved past the dark malls, making a low whistle to give himself false boldness. The wind blew harshly as he cornered into an adjacent street, making the big duffle coat he had worn dance around him ridiculously. He had purposely chosen to wear that with some cowboy hat. Crazy? Yeah. If he was going to see someone unknown, maybe he needed some funny disguise himself.

His heart thudded and his whistle died into the cold air as he finally came close to the rendezvous. The store was black and old with windows almost falling off their hinges. Some scared birds flew off the windows as he peeped in, looking for whoever had invited him. He strained his eyes into the empty store and just when he sighed in despair, a hand came from behind, wrapping stiffly over his mouth. He tried to give a fight but was overwhelmed by a force that dragged him somewhere unknown. His breathing grew tense and when he was finally set free, he puffed as he saw a masked face staring at him in the stark darkness.

"Thought you're the strong boy fighting for someone. Are you this weak?" The gritty voice from the masked face scorned him as he steadied his breathing.

"Who're you?" He asked in almost a gasp and watched timidly as a dark hand went to the mask and pulled it down. Instantly, a blurred recognition of the face hit him. He squinted at it, trying to remember where he had seen it.

"Now you know it, don't you?" The voice chuckled.

"Stan!" He exclaimed, his body shaking as he did so.

"Yeah." The boy breathed, bobbing his head as a wry smile rubbed on his face, "Heard you fought for Ava." He sniggered.

"And I heard you ran away." Jethro scowled back.

"Ran away?" Stan snorted and clenched his teeth in a mix of suppressed anger and amazement, "Is that what you were told?"

"No." Jethro retorted, "That's what I know. You ran away after what you did to Ava and..."

"Will you hush!" Stan spat at him, his palm circling tightly on his neck.

"Will you stop this.." Jethro choked as he battled to get free but the hand was too strong for him.

"I did nothing to Ava. You say that again and I get you strangled, quick!" Stan snapped and gently released his neck.

"You did nothing?" Jethro scoffed, " And yet the pictures..."

"Yeah, the pictures!" Stan howled his interruption, "I was also in the picture. Will I be there if I was the one behind it all? What the heck are you thinking? What crap have you heard about me?" Stan's hostile voice rumbled into the night and Jethro just smirked as a little silence set him.

"Crap?" Jethro licked his lips in a harsh smile, "That you wanted to hurt Finn and then drugged Ava to do all the shit you did."

"You shut that your..." Stan yelled and then stopped, his breath too heavy to continue with words. He rubbed his thick palms over his face, pushed out a lungful of hot air from his nose, and then stared calmly into Jethro's cold eyes, "Who told you I drugged Ava? Did she tell you that? She's a big liar if she had." He said vehemently.